Jessica Biel just said the quiet thing about being 'Hollywood thin' out loud.

If you want to support independent women's media, become a Mamamia subscriber. Get an all-access pass to everything we make, including exclusive podcasts, articles, videos and our exercise app, MOVE.

By now you've probably seen it: Jessica Biel in The Better Sister walking away in that white backless dress — her shoulder blades looking like they could slice through marble — followed by a TikTok breakdown of how she got there.

She's strong, she's glowy, and yes — she has the kind of sculpted back that could launch a thousand gym memberships.

Watch the trailer for The Better Sister here. Post continues below.

But what made the video go viral isn't the rows or deadlifts — it's what she said.

"That peak shape in that show is not maintainable unless you are living the strictest and most rigid lifestyle with your nutrition and with your fitness, which I cannot do."

It was a mic-drop moment, and as the hosts of Mamamia Out Loud put it, a rare bit of radical transparency in a culture where we're often sold the lie that 'effortless' beauty is real, and where the words 'just drink water and go for a walk' become a valid explanation for a surgically engineered, personal-trainer-sculpted, red-carpet-ready body.

Listen: Mia, Jessie and Holly discuss Jessica Biel's 'confession' on Mamamia Out Loud. Post continues below.

"I like it when [celebrities] are like, 'No, this ruins my life to look like that', because then I get to go, 'Well, I don't want my life ruined,'" said Holly Wainwright.  

Because let's be clear: Jessica Biel's body is not the result of a couple of Pilates classes and a protein smoothie. It is a full-time job. And she admitted that out loud to millions.

And yes, she's "not 20 anymore." Yes, she's saying she's not in peak condition. But her "not peak" is still most people's unattainable fantasy. The bar still feels impossibly high.

We're now in an era where celebrities aren't just showing us the results — they're showing us the work. 

Think: Jennifer Aniston's gym circuits, Bec Judd's Reformer Pilates and facial 'tweakments', Margot Robbie's pre-Barbie "transformation." And sure, there's a kind of honesty to that.

But we need to be honest, too.

These women don't just do the workout. Their job is the workout. They have trainers, chefs, physios and often, a very lucrative reason to get — and stay — in peak condition. It's not just discipline. It's resources, time and motivation most of us simply don't have (and shouldn't feel we need to chase).

I say this as someone who has lived it.

I used to compete as a professional bodybuilder. For a few years, my body looked… elite. Like, strangers-on-the-street-stared level of lean. But it took insane discipline.

The body that required four hours in the gym every day to maintain. Image: Supplied.

I trained three to four hours a day. I ate the same five bland foods over and over again. I weighed my broccoli. I missed dinners, birthdays and sleep and I couldn't focus on anything but food and abs and a peach-like booty and whether I looked "toned."

It was impressive, yes. But it was exhausting. And it totally ruled my life.

And here's the kicker: even at my absolute peak, I still found ways to feel less than. I'd see someone else's body and think: if I just trained harder, maybe...

We internalise it so young — that our bodies are projects, problems to solve.

As Mia Freedman put it, there's a cultural script we're all meant to follow now. You don't say you're exercising to look good. You say it's for your health. You say it's about longevity and bone density and glutes that stabilise your hips. You say you just want to feel strong.

But then a celebrity says, "Actually, I worked out like a maniac for this role so I could look hot in a dress," and we all exhale a little. Because thank you. That's what it is.

Jessica Biel didn't just do weighted pull-throughs for her health. She did them for her costume. And she admitted it. That kind of honesty matters — because the performance of "effortless wellness" is its own kind of trap.

Biel made another great point: even when you are going to the gym and trying your best, the advice is so conflicting it can be paralysing. One video says lift heavy. Another says your glutes aren't activating. Then you're told your Pilates class is "aesthetic not functional," and you think… maybe I'll just go home.

And that's what kind of scares me. That we're reaching a point where even movement feels too complicated, too performative, too wrapped in perfectionism.

We're not trying to become camera-ready. We're just trying to move our bodies, stay sane, keep our joints from falling apart. But the benchmark keeps rising. The goal keeps changing. And suddenly even the gym doesn't feel like ours anymore.

Here's the truth that probably won't go viral: you can follow the exact same workout as your favourite celeb and still never look like them. Because of genetics. Because of lighting. Because it's literally their job to look like that.

And because unless you're also giving up every non-sweaty joy in your life, your body will do what it does. And that's totally okay.

So by all means, save the video. Do the deadlifts. Build strength. Move your body. But do it for you, not to recreate a body that requires full-time labour to maintain.

And if you're not doing any of that today? That's fine, too. Because even Jessica Biel says she can't keep it up.

Feature image: Prime Video.